Who Is Predrag Ejdus

Predrag Ejdus (Belgrade, 24 July 1947 – Belgrade, 28 September 2018) was a Serbian and Yugoslav stage, film and television actor, as well as a professor of acting. According to Belgrade media and the National Theatre, he played around 200 dramatic roles, appeared in more than 50 films, took part in 50 television dramas and 30 television series, and performed in over 200 radio dramas for Radio Belgrade.

Most of his career was tied to the National Theatre in Belgrade and the Yugoslav Drama Theatre. Audiences remember him for the title role in the play “Kir Janja” and for the comic duo he formed with Josif Tatić in “Šovinistička farsa.” He also served as director of the National Theatre, president of the Association of Dramatic Artists of Serbia, and professor at the Academy of Arts.

Early Life and Childhood

He was born in Belgrade on 24 July 1947. According to several sources, his father was Jewish and his mother Serbian. He most often described himself as a Yugoslav, so biographical accounts note that he belonged to both the Serbian and Jewish peoples.

He grew up in Belgrade and stayed attached to his city throughout his life. In later interviews he recalled that, as a young man, he lived near the Faculty of Law and noticed his future wife Milica on her way to the Faculty of Architecture.

Details of his earliest childhood are not thoroughly documented in reliable sources. This part of the biography therefore relies only on verified facts about his family background and schooling.

Education

He attended Belgrade’s 14th Gymnasium. Even in his high-school years he took an interest in acting, as confirmed by his first steps in amateur theatre.

He graduated in acting in 1972 from the Academy of Theatre, Film, Radio and Television in Belgrade, studying under Professor Milenko Maričić. Immediately after graduating, he became a member of the National Theatre’s drama ensemble.

Beginnings in the Dadov Theatre

Predrag Ejdus took his first acting steps at the Belgrade amateur theatre Dadov. According to available sources, he was a member from 1962 to 1968.

Dadov was known as a place where a whole generation of future professional artists got their start. For Ejdus, it was his first great school of stage expression and discipline.

He then enrolled at the Academy. Before marrying in 1975, he completed his military service.

The National Theatre and Rise to Popularity

From 1972 to 1993 he was a member of the drama ensemble of the National Theatre in Belgrade. During that time he built a reputation as an actor of unusual range, equally convincing in comic, dramatic and classical roles.

His landmark stage roles include Osip Mandelstam, Joakim Vujić, Prince Myshkin, Franz Kafka, Napoleon, Boris Godunov, Isaac Babel, Porfiry Petrovich, Kir Janja and Laza Dunđerski. He also appeared in “Faust 1 and 2,” “The Glembays,” “The Merchant of Venice,” “Supermarket” and “The Gathering.”

Before leaving the National Theatre, he briefly served as acting director of its drama ensemble. A turning point came in 1993, as the next section describes.

Leaving the National Theatre in 1993

In 1993, Ejdus left the National Theatre together with Svetlana Bojković and Predrag Miki Manojlović. According to the sources, the reason was a protest over the arrival of Aleksandar Berček as the theatre’s director.

That same year he moved to the Yugoslav Drama Theatre (JDP), where he stayed until 2006. At JDP he continued to build a rich repertoire and confirmed his status as one of the leading actors of his generation.

This decision is often cited in biographies as an example of his artistic and professional integrity.

Kir Janja and Šovinistička Farsa

The Title Role in “Kir Janja”

The play “Kir Janja,” based on Sterija’s text, in which he played the title role, marked a quarter-century of performances in 2017. In one of his last public speeches he joked that over those 26 years Kir Janja had “outlasted” ten directors of the National Theatre, himself among them.

The production was directed by Egon Savin, and Ejdus’s Kir Janja became one of the most recognizable stage creations in Serbian theatre.

“Šovinistička farsa” with Josif Tatić

His long run in “Šovinistička farsa,” a play by Radoslav Pavlović, also brought him great popularity. Ejdus played Bernard Drah, while Josif Tatić played Slobodan Mihajlović.

According to Ejdus himself, the play was performed more than 1,800 times and was staged in almost every city of the former Yugoslavia with a theatre. The two actors also toured abroad with it, including in Australia.

Tatić and Ejdus were close friends, and their shared anecdotes circulated widely for years.

Film and Television Roles

Although he regarded the theatre as his natural home, Ejdus also built a substantial body of film and television work. He appeared in films such as “Picnic in Topola” (1981, as Maksa), “Ivko’s Feast” (2005, as Feliks Kanić), “Skinning” (2010, as Academician Hadži-Tankosić) and “Wait for Me and I Will Not Come” (2009).

He also appeared in “Ustanička Street” (2012), “Professor Kosta Vujić’s Hat” (2012), “The Smell of Rain in the Balkans” (2011, as Leon Salom) and “Newcomer” (2015, as Brana). His television work includes the 1980 series “Svetozar Marković.”

On screen he worked with director Goran Marković and other figures of Yugoslav and Serbian cinema. His daughter Vanja Ejdus also appeared in “Wait for Me and I Will Not Come.” He was also the Serbian dubbing voice of Vlad in the animated film “Hotel Transylvania 3” (2018).

Director of the National Theatre

In November 2007, the Serbian government appointed him director of the National Theatre. In interviews at the time, he said he wanted artistic work to come first and the theatre to have a clearly defined repertoire profile.

He remained in that post until March 2009, when he resigned. The period was marked by debates over the status of employees and the organization of the theatre, and Ejdus spoke about the problems of permanent employment in a national theatre.

After resigning, he returned to acting, which, as he put it, had never abandoned him.

Professor of Acting

Alongside his stage work, he devoted himself to passing on his knowledge. From 2000 or 2001 (sources differ on the year) he was an associate professor of acting at the “Braća Karić” Academy of Arts. In 2006 he was elected full professor of acting.

Among those linked to him are Nebojša Glogovac and Sergej Trifunović, who performed their first professional play, “The Great Robbery,” alongside him. Colleagues described him as a great actor, teacher and human being.

Greatest Achievements

The greatest achievements of Predrag Ejdus are above all tied to the stage. The longevity of “Kir Janja,” the popularity of “Šovinistička farsa” and a string of classical roles made him a leading member of the National Theatre’s drama ensemble.

From 1985 to 1989 he was president of the Association of Dramatic Artists of Serbia. He played around 200 stage roles, performing across the former Yugoslavia as well as in Germany, France, Canada, the United States, Hungary and Switzerland.

In 2015 he opened the 60th Sterija Theatre Festival with a speech on the strength of theatre and the position of artists.

Private Life

He was married to Milica Ejdus, an architect and set designer. They wed in 1975, after his return from military service, and the marriage lasted more than four decades. They had two children, a daughter, Vanja, and a son, Filip.

Vanja Ejdus is also an actress, and in 2022 she received the National Theatre’s “Raša Plaović” award for her role in “Lullaby for Aleksija Rajčić.”

According to media reports, at one point in his life he faced a serious illness and overcame it. The illness that later struck him was kept from the public for a long time.

Death and Farewell

Predrag Ejdus died on 28 September 2018 in Belgrade, in his 72nd year, after a long illness. The news was announced by the National Theatre.

The farewell took place at the New Cemetery in Belgrade, where he was cremated. Family, friends and colleagues said goodbye, among them Voja Brajović, Svetozar Cvetković, Zoran Cvijanović, Gordan Kičić, Anita Mančić, Svetlana Bojković, Miki Manojlović and Branislav Lečić, along with directors Goran Marković and Kokan Mladenović.

Culture minister Vladan Vukosavljević sent a telegram of condolence.

Interesting Facts

• He was a member of the amateur theatre Dadov from 1962 to 1968.
• On the flight home from Australia with Josif Tatić, he shared a plane with Patriarch Pavle, an episode he later retold as an anecdote.
• In March 2018, the National Theatre Museum held the exhibition “Predrag Ejdus, Magician of the Stage.”
• He was the Serbian voice of Vlad in “Hotel Transylvania 3.”

Awards and Honors

Among his many honors, Ejdus received the Statuette of Joakim Vujić in 2004 and the Dobričin Ring in 2008. The National Theatre awarded him its “Raša Plaović” prize in 2002.

He also received two lifetime achievement awards: the Sterija Award and the “Zlatni ćuran” (Golden Turkey), the latter in 2018. On that occasion he said he was glad to find himself among the great names of Serbian acting.

Legacy and Influence

The legacy of Predrag Ejdus lives on through productions that are still remembered, through the generations of actors he taught, and through his example of a responsible attitude toward the audience. Director Gorčin Stojanović said he never underestimated spectators, nor simply pandered to them, but played his own game.

His daughter Vanja has continued on the acting path, showing that the family’s theatrical tradition lives on.

Biography – Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Predrag Ejdus?

Predrag Ejdus was a Serbian and Yugoslav actor, a leading member of the National Theatre’s drama ensemble, a professor of acting and a former director of that institution.

When and where was Predrag Ejdus born?

He was born on 24 July 1947 in Belgrade.

When did Predrag Ejdus die?

He died on 28 September 2018 in Belgrade, after a long illness.

What is Predrag Ejdus best known for?

He is best known for the title role in “Kir Janja” and for his part in “Šovinistička farsa” alongside Josif Tatić.

Who was Predrag Ejdus’s wife?

His wife was Milica Ejdus, an architect and set designer, whom he married in 1975.

Did Predrag Ejdus have children?

He had a daughter, Vanja, also an actress, and a son, Filip.

What awards did Predrag Ejdus win?

His awards include the Statuette of Joakim Vujić, the Dobričin Ring, the “Raša Plaović” prize, and the Sterija Award and “Zlatni ćuran” for lifetime achievement.

Was Predrag Ejdus director of the National Theatre?

Yes, he was director from November 2007 until March 2009, when he resigned.

Where did Predrag Ejdus teach?

He taught acting at the “Braća Karić” Academy of Arts, where he was elected full professor in 2006.

Conclusion

Predrag Ejdus is remembered as an actor of exceptional range, a teacher and a man devoted to the theatre. From the amateur stage of Dadov, through the National Theatre and the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, to the directorship and a professorship, he gave his whole life to the stage. His Kir Janja and Bernard Drah remain a lasting part of Serbian theatre history.